Diablo 4 fans think Blizzard is learning the wrong lessons from WoW and Overwatch

Diablo 4 fans frustrated with the game's first big patch are going beyond the game's scope, airing frustrations over how developer Blizzard has handled updating other live service games like World of Warcraft or Overwatch.

Blizzard dropped the Diablo 4 Season 1 patch notes last night, ahead of Season of the Malignant starting tomorrow. While there are a fair few things that fans have taken an exception to – such as nerfs to the already-weak Sorceror – the general theme of the changes is that Blizzard is nerfing the fun and then some. If there's a build that made you feel powerful, especially one focusing on Vulnerable enemies and crit damage, chances are it no longer offers you that power fantasy.

The mood around Diablo 4 is leading some fans to compare the patch to previous Blizzard games, which also saw issues go unaddressed and 'the fun' nerfed. 

"WoW has had bad changes after bad changes, layers upon layers of them," one fan says. "No QoL changes to raiding - you still need to walk back 10 minutes if you wipe on a boss. Endgame is purely Mythic+ (nightmare dungeons) whether you like it or not. Mythic+ affixes are still absolute dogshit to play around and you're rolling the dice on whether you're fucked or giga-fucked depending on your class + the affix of the week. 

"Dragonflight makes positive strides but it still barely scratched the surface of why the game feels awful to play and is a waste of your time. The game is way too difficult not in a good way because Blizzard thinks the MDI is the end-all-be-all of all WoW balancing. Most of the community moved on to FF14, Genshin, and or just moved on with their lives."

The same player also references Overwatch, saying it was "great at first" though derailed by metas around characters like Mercy and Brigitte that took way too long to address. 

"Cherry on top? The loyal people who remained in Overwatch got slapped in the face with Blizzard announcing they are cancelling PvE," they add.

Another adds: "Somehow, Blizzard decides to double down and take a stab at the few things that make the game fun! I've never seen such a large patch dedicated to nerfs - across the board! This is madness."

"This is all about their bottom line and an attempt to have us play the game longer. Mobs can't stay alive like they used to if they nerf cooldown reduction by 30%. Players can't stay alive like they used to if they gut a vital aspect like Disobedience. Blizzard used to be about the player experience - and providing the best game possible. Diablo IV is a far cry from D2, Warcraft 3, Vanilla WoW, and StarCraft I and II."

Other players are drawing upon experiences from games beyond that Blizzard has made, such as Destiny – itself no stranger to accusations of nerfing the fun.

"I played World of Warcraft from Vanilla until Shadowlands. I played Destiny from the Destiny 1 beta all the way until the most recent expansion. I (unfortunately) played several years of both League of Legends and Dota 2. Suffice to say, I'm no stranger to updates that end up making a game feel worse," one says.

"Never, in any of my years with any of those games, have I seen a patch as baffling as this one. I was on the 'D4 is a bit barebones, but has a great foundation for future content' train. I, naively, hoped that the first season would show how Blizzard can keep the formula fresh by introducing new aspects, new uniques, and balance changes that would in turn would encourage interesting new builds. I figured even if they missed the mark, that would at least be their goal. Don't I feel like a fool."

The mood, then, is far from stellar in Camp Diablo. The fallout has led Blizzard to announce an impromptu developer stream to talk through some of the rationale for the changes. It's far from the first time we've seen a game take a few goes of class tinkering to get things right, though if Diablo 3 offers any hope, it's that D4 should get there eventually.

Here's everything we know about Diablo 4 season 1, from seasonal content to release times.